Railroad Tracks Can Grab Your Goosneck

By: USRider

To enhance the safety of horses and those who travel with horses, USRider has worked with Drs. Tomas and Rebecca Gimenez, experts in large-animal emergency rescue, on a research project to gather and analyze data about horse trailer accidents. Conclusions and recommendations from this study will be released to the public soon.

However, during the course of the study, USRider and
Drs. Gimenez noticed a hazardous trend involving
gooseneck horse trailers of which they want to caution
the public immediately.

While studying more than 200 incidents involving horse
trailers, the researchers noticed an inordinate number
of incidents involving gooseneck horse trailers
becoming stuck on railroad crossings. Almost all of
these incidents resulted in the loss of human and
equine life.

"Being stuck on a railroad track is preventable and
does not have to end in tragedy," said Mark Cole,
managing member of USRider.

"As the driver of a vehicle pulling a trailer, assume
that any low-clearance caution signs before the
railroad track are meant for you," added Dr. Tomas
Gimenez, professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at
Clemson University. "The placement of such warning
signs will allow you to take an alternate safer route."

If you must cross railroad tracks, proceed cautiously,
especially when the tracks are higher than the road
grade. If your horse trailer becomes lodged on a
railroad crossing, call 911 immediately since emergency
agencies can contact railroad companies and alert them
of the situation.

Additionally, all humans and animals should be
evacuated from the tow vehicle and trailer. Evacuating
the horses from the trailer serves two purposes.
Obviously, it removes them from harm’s way.

"Unloading a horse in a potentially dangerous scenario
such as this is going to make people as well as the
horses nervous. Make sure your horses are good about
loading and unloading from the trailer. This is not
the time to be trying to train them," said Dr. Rebecca
Gimenez. "Also be sure to lead the horses a good
distance away from the tracks to lessen the chance of
them becoming spooked by other people, traffic, the tow
truck or a passing train."

In addition, evacuating the horses will reduce the
weight in the trailer, which could raise the trailer
enough to dislodge it from the tracks and enable it to
complete the crossing safely.

"From a practical standpoint, most railroad crossings
are built up, making them slightly higher than the
surrounding roadway. Therein lies the problem," said
Cole. "When the truck tires pass over the railroad bed
and start approaching the lower roadway grade, the rear
tires can also be on the roadway grade on the other
side of the tracks, causing the front of the gooseneck
trailer to bottom out on the tracks."

While bumper-pull trailers are not as susceptible to
this problem, it is very important to raise the jack
stand to a level that will provide sufficient clearance
and not bottom out in extreme situations.

For more equine trailer safety information, please
visit the USRider website at www.usrider.org.

Horseback Riding Article Source: http://www.horsebackridingarticles.com

USRider is a nationwide roadside assistance plan created especially for equestrians. It includes standard features such as flat-tire repair, battery assistance and lockout services, plus towing up to 100 miles and roadside repairs for tow vehicles and trailers with horses, emergency stabling, veterinary and farrier referrals, and more.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated